(KRON) — A felon’s hiding spot inside a Fremont garbage dumpster was uncovered with help from bystanders, a drone, and a police K9, officials said.
The incident began at 8:38 a.m. Monday when patrol officers spotted a “suspicious person” walking along Industrial Drive and South Grimmer Boulevard. When officers stopped the man, they noticed he had the handle of a gun protruding from his clothing, the Fremont Police Department said.
“The subject immediately fled, and officers initiated a foot pursuit. The subject ran through barbed wire, prompting officers to establish a containment area around several businesses,” FPD wrote.
Bystanders told officers that the man may have jumped into a garbage dumpster on Pestana Court. When police surrounded the dumpster, 43-year-old Fortino Preciado continued hiding inside, FPD said.
In this drone image, a felon is seen hiding from police officers in Fremont on April 20, 2026. (FPD Photo)
Officers launched a drone for aerial surveillance, lifted the dumpster’s lid, and deployed a police K9 to “assist” with apprehending Preciado, the police department wrote.
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Preciado was on parole for a prior incident of resisting arrest.
He was re-arrested Monday on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm, and resisting arrest. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.